New Jersey considers marijuana distribution in a public building to be a separate offense, over and above the distribution offense itself. The particular statute that defines this offense is N.J.S. 2C:35-7.1. That is the same statute that prohibits distribution on or near public housing, and on or near public parks.

For purposes of this statute, “Public building” has a very specific meaning. It does not mean city hall, or your local fire house, or even municipal court. Rather, what “public building” means is any publicly owned or leased library or museum.

Regardless of its definition, this separate offense exists when the offense occurs within 500 feet of the library or museum. And the separate offense applies to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, even when no actual distribution occurs. It is no defense that the person was unaware that he was in or within 500 feet of the library or museum. Further, the intent to distribute, itself, need not have been within the 500 foot distance. These enhanced penalties apply so long as it was within the indicated area that the possession with intent occurred.

As indicated above, the distribution, or possession with intent to distribute in the public building, or within 500 feet of it, is actually considered to be a separate offense from the distribution itself, or the intent to distribute. When the amount of marijuana is one ounce or more, New Jersey defines this separate offense to be a second degree crime. Upon conviction, a sentence to state prison becomes a virtual certainty. The normal New Jersey State Prison term upon conviction for a second degree crime is five to ten years. Under some circumstances, this normal range can be doubled. When the amount of marijuana distributed or intended for distribution in the New Jersey public building area is less than one ounce, it becomes a third degree crime. The normal prison exposure in that situation is three to five years.

Allan Marain and Norman Epting, Jr. are New Jersey marijuana lawyers. They have successfully representing numerous clients who faced public building-related marijuana charges. They are available to discuss your situation in a no-charge no-obligation office conference. Call them!

“Chris Christie is a disgrace not just to NJ and the USA, but to humanity as a whole. His refusal to acknowledge the majority in this country of cannabis supporters is appalling. He is literally the cancer killing our country and we need to bury this sack of garbage in a landfill FAR FAR away from politics.”

--Jason Mueller, June 30, 2015,
Responding on Yahoo! to Chris Christie announcement
that he is seeking to be President of the United States

Reefer, pot, weed, grass, Mary Jane, cannabis, ganja, dope, marijuana, marihuana: Call it what you will, spell it as you please, we will defend marijuana charges against you with the benefit of approximately seventy years combined experience handling marijuana and marijuana-related arrests. Centrally located in Middlesex County, New Jersey marijuana lawyers Marain and Epting also handle marijuana arrests and charges arising in Bergen, Burlington, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren Counties. Their cases have included marijuana arrests at the Sports Complex, and at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel. Other frequent hot spots for marijuana arrests handled include Seabright, and Seaside Heights. Rutgers University arrests in New Brunswick and Piscataway number among the frequent fliers. Towns that we cover include Asbury Park, Bedminster, Belleville in Essex County, Bergenfield, Berkeley Heights, Bernards Township, Bernardsville in Union county, Bogota, Bound Brook, Branchburg, Brick in Monmouth County, Bridgewater, Clifton, Clinton in Hunterdon County, Closter, Cranbury, Cranford, Cresskill in Bergen County, Deal, Demarest, Denville, Dover in Morris County, Dumont, Dunellen, East Brunswick in Middlesex County, East Rutherford, East Windsor, Edison in Middlesex County, Elizabeth, Emerson, Englewood, Englishtown in Monmouth County, Ewing, Fair Lawn, Franklin Township, Freehold, Garfield, Garwood, Hackensack, Highland Park in Middlesex County, Hillsborough, Hillsdale, Hillside in Union County, Jersey City, Kearny, Kenilworth in Union County, Lakewood, Lawrence Township, Mahwah in Bergen County, Manville, Marlboro, Matawan, Metuchen, Middlesex Borough in Middlesex County, Monroe, Mountainside, New Brunswick, North Brunswick in Middlesex County, Nutley, Old Bridge, Paramus, Parsippany, Paterson, Perth Amboy in Middlesex County, Piscataway, Plainfield, Plainsboro, Point Pleasant, Princeton in Mercen County, Rahway, Raritan, Readington, Red Bank in Monmouth County, Ridgefield, Ridgefield Park, Ridgewood, Robbinsville in Mercer County, Rockaway, Rocky Hill, Roselle, Roselle Park, Rutherford in Bergen County, Sayreville, Scotch Plains, Seabright, Seaside Heights in Ocean County, Seaside Park, Secaucus, Shrewsbury, Somerville, South Amboy in Middlesex County, South Bound Brook, South Brunswick, South Orange, South Plainfield, South River, Sparta, Spotswood in Middlesex County, Summit, Teaneck, Tenafly, Toms River, Trenton, Union, Wall, Warren, Washington, Watchung, West Windsor, Westfield in Union County, Woodbridge, and other communities in Bergen County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Ocean County, Somerset County, Sussex County, Union County, and Warren County. Arrested elsewhere? Call anyway. We can suggest experienced marijuana lawyers in other New Jersey counties, and even in states other than New Jersey.